I've noticed a direct correlation between the time you have to do it and how many animals you run into.

10 minutes before raid time and you are trying to get it done fast? 50/50 your chance of getting a critter. 5 minutes before? You best be fast because nearly every one will have some animal or be that stupid weed you need to jump on.

If you are doing on a sunday morning while reading the morning funnies and drinking a nice cup of piping hot coffee and are in no rush, expect for everyone to be parched or infected where you can clear many with one click. And on the rare occasion it is not one of those you just kneel down and pull it up.

Might just be my imagination, but it sure seems like the less time you have the more likely you are to get a critter.

Agreed about wild crops vs. alluring/ wiggling. You can just click them all and AOE them down in one go to save time, but all the wild crops have to be dealt with one by one... spam-clicking and WAITING and it will never get faster no matter how long you farm. Gah.